31/07/2006 12:13:34 am
In Town Briefly. After sailing and kayak in the wonderful Swedish archipelago and attending a wedding up north, it is soon time for Gotland. Only in town for a brief moment, trying to stay away from anything but vacation, a few things may be noted:

TCS Daily published an article by me about why and how the labour market in the Western European countries should be reformed. Read it here.

Liberala Nyhetsbyrån, LNB, distributed an op-ed by me and Tino Sanandaji criticising the preposterous statement by the state?s Social Insurance Committee that there is no link between desire to work and the level of contributions from the state for not working. Read it here (in Swedish).

Sundsvalls Tidning writes a good editorial about how the Swedish government hides serious economic problems, based on our Timbro-study. Can be read here (in Swedish).

Prime Minister Persson is interviewed in a countryside daily and contributes extensively to the image of Timbro as a very influential think-tank. Read here.

The leader of the Social Democratic Youth Organisation said that the Conservatives are not the threat to the Social Democrats. The threat, according to her, is rather if young people don?t want to work in the public sector. That is, I presume, to say that they would thereby no more be in the hands of the state and hence the Social Democrats. Honest and telling.

Enormuous amounts have been said and written about the situation in the Middle East. And of course the situation is complicated and tragic. But still, there is also one simple point: self-defense. Why should Israel not be allowed to defend itself against terrorism? Clearly, Lebanon doesn?t control its territory. Then, someone else has to.

The European left cheered when the reformist government in Slovakia lost the election, bizarre as that was considering Slovakias success. But what do they say now that the left governs with the support of the nationalists? Power is everything? Will the Swedish left do the same if they get the chance?

At last I have seen Botniabanan, the new rail road to northern Sweden, a project I have criticised for being a terrible, expensive, project as part of regional policy. Yet, when I saw it, I reacted as I do every time a major construction project is realised: I was impressed. Technology conquers wilderness.

Continue to enjoy summer!